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Crunch watch Jan 09: the auto industry in crisis

By Tim Pollard, Ben Pulman and Gareth Evans Motor Industry 30 January 2009 12:39 Friday 30 January 2009• Honda is about to close the Swindon factory for four months when Friday's shifts are finished; the shutdown will affect 2500 of the 3700 staff, who will receive full pay for two months and then 60% pay for the next eight weeks (BBC News)• Porsche has announced a sharp drop in sales and likely profits. It forecasts a 27% drop in 911, Boxster, Cayman and Cayenne sales to around 34,000 units in the six months to the end of January 2009 (Financial Times, subscription required)• Ford wants Washington to do more to stimulate car sales, after posting a record loss of nearly $14.6 billion earlier this week (Detroit News)• Honda's quarterly profit has crashed by 90% – forcing the Japanese car maker to halve its annual profit target (Detroit Free Press)Thursday 29 January 2009• Ford of Europe is a bright spot in the Blue Oval's quarterly results today, making $1.06 billion pre-tax profit in 2008 (up from $997m in 2007). It's the first profit of more than $1bn since 1989 (Automotive News Europe, subscription required)• Volvo suffered a 'disastrous 2008' with a pre-tax loss of $1.46bn.

Ford readying 350bhp Focus RS500

The Ford Focus RS is about to get faster. Next week the Blue Oval will unveil a limited edition Focus RS500 with close to 350bhp. Ahead of the reveal Ford has launched microsite with a video of the RS500 being driven round its Lommel Proving Ground in Belgium.

New Ford Ka city car concept revealed

Ford’s Ka city car was a revelation when it was introduced back in 1996. It offered cheap thrills thanks to a sweet little chassis, and fresh styling compared to contemporary compact hatchbacks. Now, the Ka legend is moving onto its third generation with this, the 2013 Ford Ka concept – "a cleverly designed and fuel-efficient new choice for urban consumers," according to Ford.